Foreign Affairs1920-1945 X-1

HardingCoolidgeHoover

FDR

The Treaty of Versailles

Never ratified by U.S. War ended for U.S. July, 1921

Joint resolution of Congress U.S. did not belong to the League of

Nations U.S. did not belong to the World Court Young Plan: All debts scaled down 30%-

80% Dawes Plan: U.S. loaned $ to Germany,

Germany used loan to make payments to Brits and French, who used the $ to repay U.S.

Treaty of Versailles

Germany: lost colonies, Alsace-Lorraine, Sudetenland, Polish corridor, no army, no navy, Saar region, $32 billion in reparations

Austria-Hungary: Lost 2/3 land. Down to 8 million people

Ottoman Empire: To Turkey. Br. And Fr. mandates in the Middle East

New: Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland

1921 Washington Conference

Was called to arrange a series of treaties dealing with China and the Pacific

For purposes of disarmament To guarantee territorial integrity of

China Japan used WWI to expand holdings Those attending:

Major naval powers Those with interests in China and the

Pacific

The Four-Power Treaty

The U.S. France Britain Japan

Ended an alliance between Britain and Japan

All agreed to respect each others’ Pacific holdings

The Five-Power Treaty

The U.S., France, Britain, Japan, Italy

Established limits of total naval tonnage

Intended to freeze naval strength for 1st class ships

Ratio: 5,5,3 U.S.-5, Brits-5, Japan-3, Italy-1.75,

France- 1.75

The Nine-Power Treaty

U.S., China, Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Britain

All agreed to preserve commercial rights in China and promised not to take advantage of position there for privelidges

In the 20’s

The U.S. stand on disarmament was a strong contribution to world peace

BUT: Agreements did not touch land forces

Naval disarmament only concerned first-class ships

Japan gave only VERBAL agreements

U.S. would not commit to mutual defense of Pacific possessions

1928: Kellogg-Brian Treaty

Multi-lateral treaty (63 nations) All agreed to settle disputes

peacefully Did not prevent wars in self-defense No enforcement machinery

Disarmament may have worked if U.S. would have joined a collective security force…

Latin America

In the 20’s U.S. intervened occasionally to restore order

Growing awareness of L.A. resentment against U.S.

Mexico, 1917, Carranza: New Constitution

Nationalized mineral resources Threatened American investments U.S. ambassador sent to fix the

problem

Hoover in Latin America

Took a tour of L.A. prior to inauguration

Good Neighbor Policy: worked hard NOT to intervene, to promote better relations

While President, Hoover arbitrated a dispute between Chile and Peru

All came to nothing due to the effects of the Hawley-Smoot Tariff

Latin America

Had the U.S. LOWERED the tariff, L.A. countries may have been able to pay us back

Hoover and disarmament

Hoover wanted to disarm to prevent future wars and to save money

1930 Naval Disarmament Conference in London

5-Power countries invited To extend limitations to other naval

craft (beyond 1st-class ships)

1930 Naval Disarmament Conference

Failed:

France would not sign any more disarmament agreements without the formation of an international army.

Was concerned with the growing military strength of Germany

Italy and France no longer liked their ratio

Europe

Hitler rising in Germany German debt and unemployment

endangered the Weimar Republic Gave rise to the Communist Party

and the Nazi Party To prevent collapse of the Republic

Hoover issued a moratorium on war debts for 1 year in 1931. Payments never restarted.

Purpose of Moratorium

To prevent German republic from collapse

To safeguard American investments in Germany

To stimulate international trade

Too late Payments never restarted Only Finland paid us back in full Hitler took power 1933

China

1911 Manchu dynasty fell Sun Yat-sen: Nationalist Chinese

Leader Encouraged foreigners to leave Most did…not Japan or Russia…

Manchuria 1924 Sun Yat-sen died New Chinese Nationalist: Chaing

Kai-shek

China

Chaing Kai-shek tried to drive Russia out of Manchuria

Russia sent troops China backed down Russia cited with violation of

Kellogg-Briand Pact Russia claimed self-defense

China 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria Violated: Kellogg-Briand Pact, 9-Power

Treaty, League of Nations Charter

China appealed to the League League asked U.S. to investigate We did (Stimson) and found that Japan at

fault U.S. sent a nasty letter to Japan refusing

to accept legality of territorial acquisition League did the same.

Japan in China

NOTE: Japanese aggression did NOT imperil freedom of American people or American trade.

Also: U.S. involvement in China might excite the suspicion of the whole world

1932 Japan took Shanghai

U.S. Response

1933 Congress voted to give Philippines independence after 10 years

To do this, Congress had to override Hoover’s veto

Congress did not want to have to defend islands

BUT ultimately, U.S. isolation was dangerous

Europe

Totalitarianism on the Rise: complete subordination of the individual to the state

1922 Italy Mussolini: Abolished universal suffrage Crushed all dissidents Established Fascism: a dictatorial

socialism Blamed ills on foreigners

Europe

Hitler blamed Jews for Germany’s problems

Denounced democracy Established a police state Crushed all dissidents Glorified violence Said he intended to unite all German-

speaking peoples Hitler will be given concession after

concession U.S. isolation & Europe’s Policy of

Appeasement

Totalitarianism

Germany resorted to wild inflation German mark was reduced to one-

trillionth of its pre-war value

1934 Johnson Act: U.S. would not loan $ to countries owing us money

1935 Pittman Neutrality Resolution: Under no circumstances would the U.S. come to the aid of victims of aggression

Latin America

FDR and Hoover very different in L.A.,

1933 FDR at Pan-American Conference in Montevideo (Chile)

Nullified the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine: Gave up the right to intervene

Treaty with Cuba: nullified the Platt Amendment (right to intervene)

Latin America

1936 Pan-American Conference: Drew up Declaration of Principles:

Would settle disputes peacefully Would not interfere in one another's

affairs No forcible payment of debts Would not conquer new territory

Back to Europe

FDR wanted to join the World Court & League

Congress: no way 1933 International Economic Conference

(London) Other countries abandoned the gold

standard FDR: said he would not let them drag us

down They could do little without U.S.

cooperation U.S. lowered the gold content in dollar but

remained on the gold standard

No More Tariffs to Know

1933-34: Reciprocal Trade Agreements: We would lower our tariff on a country’s goods if they would lower their tariffs on ours. To promote a healthier world economy To promote a healthier U.S. economy To prevent congressional logrolling

Russia

Lenin: Dropped out of WWI Established world’s first communist

country U.S. no recognition of USSR The way they took power They promoted the overthrow of

democratic governments 1933 Stalin took power

Roosevelt-Litvinov Treaty

U.S. gave formal recognition to USSR if they would make arrangements to pay us back and would quit trying to overthrow the U.S. government

The Third International (out of Moscow) was calling on workers of the world to unite and overthrow their governments

Spain

Was a Republic (constitutional monarchy)

Juan Carlos: King Mid-1930’s

Spanish Civil War: Francisco Franco (fascist)

Overthrew king with t he help of Hitler and Mussolini

The Jewish Question

Scapegoats in Germany Social Darwinism The Aryan Race, Berlin Olympics,

Jessie Owens Marriage laws, racial pollution,

Racial Hygiene laws Dachau, Auschwitz Kristallnecht

The Jewish Question

Ghettos in Warsaw and Lodz “resettlement”

Children’s transports The Final Solution 22,000 Gypsies The Pope Protestant ministers Himmler: SS, Gestapo with Goering

(luftwaffe) Goebbels: Propaganda minister

The Holocaust

Italy Denmark

Resistance: Tito: Yugoslavia DeGaulle: Free French

movement

Aggression

1935 Italy took Ethiopia with modern weapons

U.S. oil shipments to Italy tripled League protested Italy left the League

1936 Japan withdrew from disarmament agreements and increased navy

By 1937 Japan had N. & C. Chinese plains

Aggression

Hitler ignored Treaty of VERsailles Built up army and navy Nazi subversion all over Europe 1938 Annexed Austria 1938 The Sudetenland Brits and French at Munich

Conference: Policy of Appeasement (Chamberlain)

1939 Germans took the rest of Czechoslovakia

U.S. and Neutrality Acts

Embargo on the sale and transport of arms to warring countries

Forbade loans to nations at war outside of the W. Hemisphere

Raw materials to warring nations: cash and carry

U.S. citizens ordered out of war zones and off of ships of nations at war

NOTE: Neutrality Acts DID hurt U.S. freedom of the seas

U.S. and Neutrality Acts

FDR did not like neutrality acts but signed them to keep U.S. out of war

FDR would have preferred an embargo of American grade to keep U.S. out of war

More Aggression

1939 Italy took Albania 1939 Germany took the rest of

Czechoslovakia Japan called WWII the Greater East

Asian War Saw itself as liberating Asia from

western imperialists Conquered regions for raw

materials, economics, military needs Bloodbaths…Chinese suffered most

Asia

1937 The Panay: American Ship on Chinese river attacked and sunk broad daylight

Japanese: an accident…apology We accepted and left China

Because Japan did not make a formal declaration of war while invading China, U.S. sent Chinese everything but troops to help without violating neutrality acts

Ludlow Resolution

Missed passing by one vote

Unless actually attacked, the U.S. could not go to war without a popular referendum